Out-of-favour India opener Prithvi Shaw made a scorching start to his stint with Maharashtra as he smoked a 122-ball century in the first innings against Chhattisgarh in the opening round of the Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 in Chennai on Tuesday.
Shaw’s flawless hundred prevented a steep Maharashtra collapse after the star-studded side slipped to 143 for five after Ruturaj Gaikwad fell for 1 at No. 4. Laced with 14 fours and a six, Shaw propelled the team past 150 after Chhattisgarh racked up 252 in 89.3 overs on the opening day. Shaw had made his presence felt in his first competitive outing since December 2024 with three catches in the world.
From Mumbai to Maha
This is the 25-year-old Shaw’s first tournament for the side, having moved from Mumbai in July. Shaw is looking to reignite his career in top-level cricket after a torrid season last year in which he was dropped by Mumbai due to issues with his fitness and discipline.
Prithvi Shaw celebrating his hundred. (X)
Shaw had been granted a no-objection certificate from Mumbai to change teams in June. “At this stage of my career, I believe joining the Maharashtra team will help me grow further as a cricketer,” Shaw said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful to the Mumbai Cricket Association for the opportunities and support I have received over the years.”
Widely rated as one of the most exciting young talents in the world during his teenage years, Shaw’s international career petered out after five Tests, six ODIs and a T20I, with his last match for India coming in July 2021. He remained prolific in the domestic scene for a couple of years after that as well before his sharp decline last season.
Shaw has 4556 runs in 58 first-class appearances at 46.02, scoring 13 centuries and 18 half-centuries with a highesgt score of 379. In List-A games, he has 3399 runs at 55.72 and a strike-rate of 125.74. In T20s, his 2902 runs have come at a strike-rate of 151.54 and average of 25.01. He was unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Shaw was captain of the Indian team that won the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, with current Test captain Shubman Gill being the player of the tournament.
